That Man
by EndlessLoveEternally
Summary: Ino Yamanaka couldn't help the smile that graced her face. Peering down at the large hand that gently held hers within its grasp, she couldn't help but smile a bit wider. "I love that man. If he'll have me, I plan on marrying him someday. So if I ever find any of you treating him with anything less than the respect he deserves, I will send you all to the hospital. Got it?"


**A/N: Hello! This is my longest Choji/Ino fanfic. It is also one of my first fanfics for Choji/Ino pairing that I have written. There will be other Choji/Ino fanfics that will be associated to this fanfic since in this story, it mentions several moments of Choji and Ino's past interactions (these interactions will be separate fanfics of mine!). :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except the plot.**

**Also, there is a particular part in here that was inspired by MikazukiDreams. XD **

**It may seem like this is an OC Ino. Ino is somewhat vulnerable, but she has extremely matured. She is aware of what she's done to Choji in the past and she's grown up now! **

**Read and review please! Enjoy! **

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><p><strong>One year after the Great Shinobi War.<strong>

Today was the Annual Konoha Festival. It was time to celebrate a new year and new beginnings. It was the chance to commemorate all those who lost their lives fighting honorably in the name of the Hidden Leaf Village. But most of all, it called for a better future filled with happiness, laughter, and peace.

With her hand held securely by her beloved, they began to make their way to the festival.

Ino Yamanaka couldn't help the small smile that graced her face. Peering down at the large hand that gently held hers within its grasp, she couldn't help but smile a bit wider.

Her eyes caressed those large hands that were firm in fighting, but gentle when offering friendship and love. Her gaze slowly traveled upwards to his sinewy arms that held tremendous strength and comfort. Moving slightly higher, she admired his broad shoulders that held the weight of both the world and herself with such ease. She glanced at his beautiful hair, in awe of it's length and soft touch that equally rivaled her own Yamanaka tresses. Following his milk chocolate mane, her eyes landed on his slim and muscled neck that allowed her to comfortably burrow her face in for a cuddle. Smiling wider in memory of those cuddles, her eyes wandered to his portly cheeks marked with his Akimichi family kanji swirls. He never knew it, but she loved trailing her fingers over his cheeks, reassuring herself that he was still alive and still with her. In finality, her eyes lingered on his expressive eyes that always held concern and kindness. She loved losing herself in those dark orbs; they spoke volumes. She could never understand why, but whenever she gazed into his eyes, all she could see was love; unconditional love for her.

Peering back down at their clasped hands, she couldn't help but ponder on how a man such as him could love and care for a woman like her. Sure, she matured from being the vain bitch in her youth, but her treatment of him in the past was unforgivable.

Ino was so lost in thought that she didn't realize they had stopped walking until she heard his voice.

"Ino? What's wrong?"

Mentally shaking herself, she turned to him with a smile and squeezed his hand in reassurance. "Nothing's wrong. Let's go have some fun."

One glance in his eyes and she could tell he was concerned. But he returned her smile and excitedly replied, "Yeah!"

They walked hand in hand to different booths. Of course they went to several food booths. One booth had the most delicious sweet dumplings she had ever tasted. One look at the man on his fifth dumpling, there was no doubt in her mind that he absolutely loved them too.

Before she finished her dumpling, he was already mesmerized by the food several booths down. She could tell that he wanted to head over there next and was waiting patiently for her.

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up."

"Hmm. I'll wait for you, Ino. I don't mind."

Leaning up, she caught his lips in a chaste kiss.

"Go on ahead. I'll be there shortly."

Smiling, he pecked her lips in return.

"I'll be quick."

Watching him expertly weave himself through the crowd, she couldn't help but think that she was falling even more head over heels for that man.

Turning to the woman in the booth, Ino put in an order for 30 dumplings and several other packages that she saw Choji eyeing.

With wide eyes and a grin, the lady quickly set out to complete the order.

Fifteen minutes later, Ino gave a bag of coins to the woman who happily handed her the order of food that could easily feed a small family.

The lady in the booth couldn't help but smile.

"Is all this food for you and your young man?"

"Uh. Oh, it's mostly for him. He has a very large appetite," she said, chuckling.

"Well he is a very lucky young man to have a woman like you."

Ino's chuckles immediately stopped.

She sighed.

"To be completely honest, I'm - "

"Well, well, well. It's been a very long time, Ino."

Wide-eyed, Ino turned to see three kunoichi from her childhood. They were supposedly the prettiest girls when she was younger. But looking at them now, she couldn't understand why. Time hadn't been very nice to them.

"Avian, Spara, Aira. It has been a long time."

They looked at the several packages of food in disgust.

They jeered.

"I bet it's for that so-called man of yours."

"HA! Maybe she wants to be like him, overweight and ugly."

"She's halfway there, she's already ugly."

The three laughed. And then they taunted.

"How could you be with that MAN!"

"No one else wanted to be with you?"

"Pathetic."

"That man is so ugly!"

"That man has hair longer than a girls!"

"Maybe he is actually a she!"

And then they went too far.

In unison, all three kunoichi yelled, "THAT MAN IS SO FA-!"

"_Don't." _Ino's voice had lost all it's warmth. It was cold. Sharp. Harsh.

"How dare you stand there and demean him as if you know him." Ino was furious. She was so angry that her entire body started trembling. With each sentence, her voice became louder and stronger.

"That MAN is a jounin shinobi. Are any of _you_ jounin?"

Silence.

"That MAN has fought tooth and nail for this village. He fought in the Great Shinobi War. Did any of _you_ do the same?"

Silence.

"That MAN almost died for this village on several occasions. Have any of _you _visited death's door with the willpower to keep on living?"

Silence.

"That MAN is loyal to a fault. He supports his friends with every fiber of his being, even if it goes against direct orders. Have any of _you_ been brave enough to do that?"

"Shut u-."

"I'm not finished," hissed Ino. "That MAN is worth more than all four of us put together."

"B..b..bu...but he's so fat."

SMACK.

All three kunoichi had matching red handprints on their faces.

"That MAN is worth his weight in gold, and then some. He is the sweetest and most caring person I've ever met. He has the biggest heart. He looked passed all my flaws and accepted me at my worst. He comforts me and keeps me safe at _his _expense, especially on missions. He was always there. Even when I treated him horribly. If he were here right now, he would give you the benefit of the doubt and forgive you. He would offer you friendship and a smile. THAT is the type of man he is."

By now, there were tears streaming down Ino's cheeks.

"I love that man. And if he'll have me, I plan on marrying him someday. If I ever find any of you or your friends treating him with anything less than the respect he deserves, all of you will be paying a visit to the hospital by yours truly."

The three kunoichi fearfully nodded.

"This is your _only_ warning. Do _not_ approach me again."

The three kunoichi high-tailed it out of there with speed that could rival Rock Lee's.

But Ino remained stock still with her hands fisted at her sides; her head hanging in defeat. She couldn't bring herself to move.

But she was gently pulled into a familiar pair of large arms. Wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, she cried into his chest, hard.

She just couldn't understand how a man as wonderful as Chouji could love her. _She _was the one who was lucky to have him in her life. He was too good for her. He deserved someone better.

Without Ino realizing it, he had carried her away from the prying eyes of the villagers to a nearby field of flowers.

He rubbed soothing circles on her back and whispered words of comfort. He let her cry. After several minutes, her cries turned into sniffles.

She felt so safe in his arms. Especially now with her sitting in his lap, cocooned in his warm arms.

"Ino, what happened?" He softly asked.

She took a deep whiff of his scent to calm down. And then she relayed the entire story to him.

He didn't make a single sound. He waited patiently for her to finish.

Wiping Ino's tears, Choji peered into her eyes.

"Ino, what they say doesn't bother me."

Ino sniffed. "You should care! They don't know you or what you've done for this village. They don't have the right to just talk trash about you! They - "

She was silenced by a pair of lips. She put all her frustration and anger into that kiss; Choji returned her kiss with equal fervor.

Pulling apart, Choji cradled her face in his hands. "As long as my friends don't think of me like that, then the world's opinion of me doesn't matter. As long as _you_ don't think of me like that."

Staring into his caring dark orbs, Ino could feel fresh tears trailing down her cheeks.

Squeezing the hands cradling her face, Ino hung her head.

Her voice trembled.

"But Choji, I used to, remember? When I heard them say those cruel things, I didn't see those three kunoichi. I saw myself. I saw the ignorant, vain, and ungrateful bitch from 10 years ago."

Her shoulders trembled.

"You always saved me during missions. You always placed yourself in danger for me."

She sobbed.

"It hurts. How could I be so harsh to someone so sweet and caring? How could I be so cruel to someone who saved my life more than once?"

"Ino."

She shook her head. "If I could turn back time, I would change it. But all I can do is apologize over and over to you."

She slowly raised her crying eyes to his tear-filled eyes.

"Ino."

"I'm sorry, Choji. I'm sorry for calling you those mean names. I'm sorry for complaining about your weight. I'm sorry for not appreciating all you've ever done for me."

She wiped her eyes.

"I know it's too much to ask, but I hope that you could forgive me one day. I'll promise th-"

"_Ino_."

She paused. "Yes?"

"Do you love me?"

She reached up to gently caress his face. "Yes, I do."

Choji pulled her in for a kiss. It was gentle, chaste. Slow. But it was filled with love.

Taking one of her hands in his own, he looked deep into her eyes.

"We've known each other for 10 years and we've been together for a few years. This last year has made me the happiest man. I've loved you for 10 years and I want to keep on loving you for the rest of my life."

He pulled out a small box.

"We're both shinobi. It's dangerous. Each mission could be our last. But I want to be there when you cry about gaining weight. I want to be there when you almost burn the kitchen down when you're trying a new recipe. I want to be there when you go on crazy shopping adventures."

He caressed her cheek.

"I want to be there when you first wake up in the morning, disheveled and beautiful. I want to be there when you train so hard that you can barely move and I'll have to carry you home. I want to be there when you yell at the man in the supermarket or when you and Sakura get into an argument. I want to be there when you're grouchy, sad, angry, happy, and excited."

He opened the box to reveal a single diamond ring.

Ino gasped.

"I love you, Ino. If you'll allow it, I would like to be there with you for eternity. Will you marry me?"

Ino couldn't believe her eyes or ears.

She wanted more than anything to say yes. But Choji deserved better. She wasn't good enough to be his wife.

So she closed the box.

"Ino?"

The hurt she heard in his voice pulled at her heartstrings. But he needed to know that he deserved someone else, someone better.

"Choji, you deserve better."

"Ino."

She shook her head and pulled herself out of his warm embrace, standing.

Choji stood, trying to pull her back into his embrace.

But Ino backed up to put some distance between them; she shook her head and cried, "You deserve someone better. You deserve someone who doesn't mind gaining weight. You deserve someone who can cook a delicious meal for you when you come home from a long hard day. You deserve someone who doesn't go crazy shopping or someone who doesn't get into a million of arguments."

Hanging her head, she continued," You deserve someone who appreciated you from the very beginning."

"Ino, look at me."

She shook her head.

"Ino, _look_ at me."

She snapped her head up, glaring. She was crying so much that Choji was a blur. "Don't you get it, Choji! I _don't_ deserve you and you ... you don't deserve me."

She paused. Choking through a sob, she said, "Don't you see? I'm not good enough to be your wife."

There was silence.

Speaking softly, he replied, "Ino . . . I deserve someone who loves me."

He paused. "Do you love me?"

She nodded, more tears slipping down her cheeks. "I love you, Choji. With all my heart."

"And I love you, Ino. I don't want anyone else. I just want you."

He reopened the box and held his hand out to her. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

She looked at his outstretched hand, flickering her eyes from his dark orbs to the ring, and then back to his empty outstretched hand.

But Ino was still reluctant to say yes.

"How? How can you love me? And why would you? I'm bossy and rash. I treated you horribly. I hurt you more than once. I don't understand."

He smiled. "Do you want to know what I thought of when I first saw you? We were on the playground and you were talking amongst a group of girls. Then all of a sudden, you punched the other girl because she insulted your friend."

He chuckled. "I told myself, whoa. She's a firecracker. But a great friend."

He took one step towards her.

"Do you remember when I first met you? I was running towards school because I was going to be late. I tripped over a rock and dropped my lunch on the ground. I was distraught as a kid could be. But before I could cry, a lunch package was placed in front of my face. You smiled and offered me your lunch. You told me that I could have your lunch and to be careful next time. As I watched you run to your friends, I told myself then that I was going to be your friend one day."

He looked away. "When I was placed on your team for the academy, I was thrilled. I thought that I could finally be your friend. But then you weren't the same as when you were younger."

He paused. "At least, not at first. It took me awhile to see that your brash nature to me was because you actually cared about my well-being. I still remember when you almost punched that guy in the face at the restaurant because he almost called me fat. Or when you stole all my barbecue chips and replaced them with veggie chips. Or when you gave me several books about the causes for heart disease and diabetes."

He turned to look at her. "You did that because you care, not because you were shallow."

He took a step closer. "The first time I thought you were beautiful was when we fought alongside each other. You were dirty, bleeding, tired, and sweaty. But you were powerful, so driven to succeed. You didn't stop, even when your chakra was severely diminished. You kept moving. You inspired me."

He took another step closer. "The first time I saw you cry, I wanted to take you away to someplace safe. I wanted to do whatever I could to stop you from hurting, even if it would make me sad in the process. I wanted to take away all your pain."

He took another step closer. "Then I realized that you were crying over a small child who had no family and no food. And you wanted to do something about it. You couldn't bear the thought of someone going through that. That special place in my heart reserved especially for you grew a bit bigger that day."

He paused. "I remember when you were training so hard on your family jutsu. You were so frustrated, but you trained every day. And then the one time where you succeeded, you came to tell me first. You didn't even tell Sakura or Shikamaru. You ran all the way to my house to tell me first. I felt so special."

He took another step closer. "Remember my birthday? You met with a food vendor to purchase some of my favorite foods that weren't sold in the village. I thought you were on another date and my heart couldn't handle it. I was called that afternoon into a mission. It started raining too. I thought it was fitting, horrible weather on a horrible birthday. But when we were leaving, you stopped us. You yelled at Shikamaru to give you a minute and then you slapped me. Hard. But then you kissed me. And yelled at me for thinking that you didn't care for me. But the last part is what made my birthday the best."

He took another step closer. "That was the first time you told me you loved me."

He looked at the ring box in his hand and then back at Ino. "I gradually fell in love with you, Ino. But I distinctly remember when I realized that I was completely and utterly in love with you. It was two years ago, after the war. I was standing, looking around at the battlefield. It was filled with bodies. The terrain was wrecked, trees were ripped apart and the ground was cracked, upheaveled. I had become separated from you and Shikamaru. I was worried. And then when I saw you running to me, I was so relieved. The weight of the world was lifted. But before I could run to you, I blacked out."

He paused, contemplating. "I remember coming in and out of consciousness. I remember seeing your face several times. I remember Shikamaru being there too. You were yelling at me to stay with you. I could feel your chakra on me. And then it was dark. I was reliving the war. I saw a lot of shinobi being ruthlessly killed and I was injured. But I had to keep fighting. And then it cleared. Asuma was there. We were in a white room. We talked about the war, about Team 10, and about you. He told me that it was too soon for me to be there. That I would need to protect the kings and future kings."

Choji took one step closer. They were within arm's length of each other now. "Your father was there. My father was there. Shikamaru's father was there too. There were two others, a boy and a girl. It was weird because they looked like us when we were younger. They all told me to keep you safe. To keep living. To not leave you behind. It was surreal. And then I heard your voice. Calling to me. I knew I wasn't waking up, but you were there. I could feel your spirit, your chakra. I turned to see that you were in a field of flowers just like the one we're standing in. They all told me to go with you. Especially the two young ones. They said we would meet them in a few years. And for me to cut down on the junk food and for you to throw away your makeup. I didn't realize it until I woke up, seeing you on a bed next to me in the hospital with your hand on my forehead. You came to me telepathically. You entered my mind to bring me back, didn't you?"

Ino nodded. She wasn't crying as much. Just a few tears here and there were escaping her eyes.

"That was when I knew I was completely in love with you."

He held his hand out to her. "And a few moments ago, you defended me against those three kunoichi. You were glowing, you were so passionate. And it was about me! So why would I want someone else when it's always been you, Ino? My entire heart belongs to you."

Ino slowly placed her hand in his.

"It's not fair. I should leave you because you deserve so much more than what I can offer. But when you do things like that, remembering all those moments. I can't bring myself to turn my back to you. I want you in my life just as much as you want me in yours."

Intertwining their fingers, Choji asked her one more time. "I love you. Will you marry me?"

Right then and there, Ino decided to try her best to be the woman this man deserved. She would do whatever it took to be on par with this man. She would learn how to cook. She would learn how to be more patient. She would love him with all of her being. She would give him a family with a boy and a girl.

Nodding, she whispered, "Yes."

He slipped the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit.

Smiling widely, he gave her a quick kiss, pulled her into his arms and spun her in a circle.

"Woohoo! She said yes!"

Ino couldn't help but laugh excitedly with him.

This man was the best thing that ever happened to her. There was no doubt about it.

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><p><strong>AN: I know the parts where Choji recounts the memories doesn't seem like proper writing etiquette. There's a lot of breaks, fragments, and etc. But I wanted to write it in the manner of how I thought he would say it or how it would sound if I were there to witness it. In moments full of emotion, it never comes out perfect. It comes out sounding raw and I hope I accomplished that. :)**

**Reviews are love! Please review if you can. :) I love to read all your lovely comments!**


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